Chapter Twenty-Eight: The One Who Lives in Symbiosis with the Evil Spirit (Part Two)

"You know the reason, don't you?"

At the Yuchi estate, after receiving the letter from Long Cheng, the group from the Crown Prince's residence had Chen Xiao arrange for Zhang Rui to stay in a room. Once Chen Xiao closed the door, he spoke directly.

"What reason?" Zhang Rui turned back, looking puzzled.

"Lord Zhang is a clever man; why pretend to be foolish in front of me?" Chen Xiao laughed. "Just now, you clearly didn't want to reveal all the information, did you? You must know why that evil entity causing the plague is able to make its hosts cooperate with it, right?"

"Why would you think that?" Zhang Rui looked at him in surprise.

"Because Lord Zhang is a cautious man," Chen Xiao sighed. "I haven't known you for long, but I can tell that you seem to have a firm grasp on everything you do. If that monster were truly so dangerous and you didn't have all the intelligence, you likely wouldn't have come to Beihai City with us."

"Lord Chen is quite the judge of character..." Zhang Rui sighed upon hearing this. "It is not that I do not wish to speak, but the current situation in Beihai City is not as favorable as I had hoped. The Yuchi family and the Crown Prince's faction are at odds, and the advisors from the Prince's residence seem to be at constant loggerheads with you, Master Chen. In such a complex situation, if I were to lay out all the information about the monster, I fear it would only lead to even greater chaos."

"It seems that information is a powerful temptation for the human heart..." Chen Xiao smiled. "You are correct. The people here in Beihai City were brought together only because of the Crown Prince. Now that he has met with misfortune, they are naturally drifting apart. I am an outsider from the pugilistic world, while those advisors are primarily from the sorcerer clans of the capital. Sorcerers and warriors have never seen eye to eye; their only common ground with the Yuchi family was the Prince. If your words were to get out, this fragile relationship would surely shatter."

"That is indeed my fault..." Zhang Rui sighed. "I did not consider it thoroughly enough."

"It was I who failed to consider it; I should have leveled with you from the very beginning." Chen Xiao bowed solemnly and then said, "But I still wish to ask you to share that information with me."

"Why?" Zhang Rui narrowed his eyes at him.

"The other two factions do not trust you, but I do," Chen Xiao said earnestly. "You surely do not wish for the Crown Prince to meet with disaster, and neither do I. Those other two groups have their own agendas; I alone have no other crutch to lean on. If you can assist me, I will follow your instructions completely from this moment on. I imagine you also need a partner who is familiar with the situation here, don't you?"

"Lord Chen is quite blunt..." Zhang Rui observed him for a long time before finally laughing. "What do you want to know?"

"First, I want to know if that thing is truly as you said: regardless of the host's personality or strength of will, once it possesses them, they will obey it?"

"Not necessarily..." Zhang Rui shook his head.

"Not necessarily?" Chen Xiao was stunned.

"If the will is truly firm, they cannot be tempted..."

"Tempted?" Chen Xiao caught the word, surprised. "Are you saying the monster makes the host obey by offering them benefits?"

"You could say that."

"How is that possible?" Chen Xiao frowned. "The people on that list are the Crown Prince's most trusted confidants, and the honor of the Yuchi family is tied to his survival. Furthermore, most of the Yuchi descendants have died horribly. What kind of benefit could make those people cooperate with such a monster?"

Zhang Rui sighed, his voice hollow. "The monster is dangerous. Beyond its terrifying destructive power, the even more terrifying aspect is the value it offers."

"Value?"

"The thing has always relied on parasitism to survive, yet every time, it has managed to make its hosts willingly help it slaughter their own kind. Lord Chen, if the value weren't immense, who would willingly coexist with such a monster?"

"What kind of value could it possibly be?" Chen Xiao frowned.

"Many things..." Zhang Rui said softly. "First, it can help the host become powerful."

"Many things can do that, can't they?" Chen Xiao remained skeptical. He could not believe the Yuchi family would defect for that alone.

"What if I said it could enhance one's natural aptitude?"

"Lord Zhang, are you serious?" Chen Xiao was instantly shocked.

In this world, many things can be obtained through effort and opportunity over time, but there is one thing that is impossible to seek: natural aptitude! The greatest unfairness in this world is that some are born different from you, and aptitude is something no one can control—it is the greatest variable between individuals. Yet, the man before him was claiming there was something that could control this variable.

Chen Xiao's breathing became rapid.

"Do you feel that the monster has suddenly become more important than the Crown Prince?" Zhang Rui asked quietly.

"Lord Zhang, you jest..." Chen Xiao laughed dryly. "Such a thing that defies the heavens must have terrible side effects, right?"

"That... how should I put it..." Zhang Rui looked at him solemnly. "If you count the deaths of everyone around you as a side effect, then yes, it is massive. But if you are only talking about the self... I am sorry, there are none!"

Chen Xiao: "..."

***

"Third Master says... you and Father met that evil entity?" Yuchi Hong asked blankly. "When? Why have I never heard of this?"

"Because that is not a story to be told..." Third Master Luo gave a wry smile, his dim, yellowed eyes filled with reminiscence. "Come to think of it, that was twenty years ago."

"Twenty... years ago?" Yuchi Hong's pupils constricted. "That time frame... could it be?"

"You guessed correctly," Third Master Luo sighed. "It was the Battle of Youyun!"

Yuchi Hong's expression grew heavy. That was the battle that had made his father famous!

At that time, Northern Qi was powerful, holding Youzhou for many years and eyeing the capital, becoming a constant thorn in the side of the Great Jin Dynasty. The campaign was led by the father of the current General Long, the old Duke Long, and it lasted for three full years!

At that time, there were many in the capital who favored peace because the situation was dire. The Northern Qi forces were formidable and had already conquered most of Youzhou. Once they breached the Tianshui residence in Youzhou, they would have a clear path to strike directly at the capital!

The Great Jin army was retreating, and many sorcerer families at court were panicked, stepping forward to demand that the imperial family cede land for peace.

At that time, the current Emperor was just one of the princes, and his status among the many princes was not high. He was stationed at the front lines with his father, using the influence of the Beihai Yuchi family to launch a surprise attack from the sea on Chishui in Youzhou. They struck the enemy's belly and achieved the first major victory in three years. Their position was extremely precarious, like a nail driven into the enemy's rear. As long as they could hold Chishui, they could indefinitely disrupt the enemy's logistics, which was of great significance to the entire battlefield.

Chishui had the largest port connected to the North Sea. As long as Chishui remained stable, the North Sea could continuously transport resources. Once the front line was established, the advantage was obvious.

Because of this, Northern Qi launched a fierce attack on Chishui. Empress Dowager Xiao sat in command herself, and one hundred thousand iron cavalry from Northern Qi besieged the city. Externally, they sent ministers to the capital to pressure the court for peace and the execution of the Yuchi family.

That was the greatest crisis the Yuchi family had faced in a thousand years, but his father turned the tide. He led the prince at the time—the current Emperor—on a night raid. It was said they utilized the enemy's hasty camp setup and used fire to crush the Northern Qi army. Empress Dowager Xiao herself almost died in that battle.

His father became famous from that battle, his military achievements unparalleled, and it established the Yuchi family's reputation as the premier martial clan of the era.

"Actually, that battle was not won by us..." Third Master Luo said hollowly.

"Ah?"

"How many troops did your father have back then? The entire Yuchi family did not believe in him and had no intention of sending reinforcements. The worst-case scenario at the time was taking the Yuchi family's private army and resources to flee the North Sea and become kings overseas. When your father and I returned, more than half of the family had already moved away."

"Then?" Yuchi Hong was stunned. He remembered that when he was a child, his family seemed to have almost fled overseas. He had been told it was to preserve the Yuchi lineage, but he hadn't realized they were planning to abandon his father from the start.

"Your father was slaughtered until only a few thousand men remained at Chishui. Facing one hundred thousand Northern Qi troops, let alone him, even Sun Tzu brought back to life could not have turned the situation around."

"It's related to that monster?" Yuchi Hong was not stupid; he understood what the other meant.

"Yes..." Third Master Luo sighed. "The symptoms back then were exactly the same as they are now. The hundred thousand Northern Qi troops all died from that terrifying plague. That is why your father ordered people to burn the army. The official records of the head-count for military merit were always controversial, but there were so many corpses that no matter how skeptical the court was, this monumental achievement could not be denied."

"Then... why did the monster help us?" Yuchi Hong swallowed hard.

"I don't know..." Third Master Luo said softly. "But your father knew the enemy was in chaos and insisted on launching the attack at that time, and he almost killed Empress Dowager Xiao..."

"Third Master, what do you mean?" Yuchi Hong stumbled backward. "Are you saying my father..."

"I was as close as a brother to your father, and I never doubted him, even when your father behaved strangely that day. I never asked. But today..." Third Master Luo sighed and stood up. "I must truly get to know this old friend of mine..."